Sports
CHELSEA maintained their three-point lead at the top of Women’s Champions League Group B with a comfortable 6-1 victory over Dutch side Twente.
The Blues, who had already booked their spot in the quarter-finals before this fixture, continued their 100 per cent record under Sonia Bompastor, extending their impressive winning streak to 14 matches in all competitions.
In an entertaining first half which featured five goals, Chelsea took the lead after just two minutes thanks to a piece of individual brilliance from Caterina Macario. After seeing her initial attempt blocked by goalkeeper Olivia Clark, the USA international flicked up the rebound and dinked her volley in the far corner.
The hosts had numerous opportunities to extend their lead, with Mayra Ramirez and Erin Cuthbert both spurning good chances, before finding themselves pegged back in the 29th minute when Maika Hamano needlessly pulled Charlotte Hulst down in the box. Kayleigh van Dooren blasted the resulting penalty beyond the reach of Zecira Musovic, who guessed the right way.
However, Chelsea immediately restored their advantage through Oriane Jean-Francois, whose left-footed shot was deflected in at the near post.
They then capitalised on repeated sloppy defending from Twente to extend their lead to 4-1 by half-time. Ramirez lofted home a long-range effort after spotting Clark off her line before Cuthbert pounced on a loose pass from the goalkeeper and saw her blocked shot turned in by Twente defender Anna Knol as she attempted a goal-line clearance.
Substitute Sjoeke Nusken put the result beyond all doubt immediately after the break with a glancing header from close range, before a well-struck 85th minute volley from Eve Perisset.
With second-placed Real Madrid defeating Celtic 3-0, Chelsea head into next Tuesday’s meeting at Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano knowing a draw will be enough to secure top spot in Group B.
Fast-starting Chelsea flex their strength in depth
Chelsea had secured their spot in the last eight with two games to spare but manager Bompastor was in defiant spirits ahead of her side’s meeting with Twente, challenging her much-changed team to maintain their winning mentality.
Speaking ahead of the match, she said: “We just want to keep going and keep winning. It’s part of our mentality. It’s part of the DNA of the club.
“The main goal in this group is for us to stay in first place at the top of the table. We still have two games left and we want to win them both.”
And that message was received and understood by her players.
Starting quickly has been a feature of Chelsea’s Champions League campaign and, against Twente, it was no different. For the fourth time in five outings this season, they had the ball in the back of the net inside 10 minutes, while 12 of their 17 group stage goals – including four against Twente – have now come in the first half.
Four of Chelsea’s goals were scored by players coming into the startingXI, with Macario, Ramierz, Jean-Francois, and Perisset all seizing their opportunities to impress. Ramirez, in particular, caught the eye, using her physicality and speed to bully Twente’s defenders.
While Wednesday’s victory was far from a flawless performance – they were loose in defence on a couple of occasions – it was a clear demonstration of Chelsea’s strength in depth.
For next week’s opponents Real Madrid, their challenge is two-fold: preventing Chelsea from gaining an early foothold in the game and neutralising their numerous attacking threats. –
A.I
Dec. 12, 2024
Tags: Erin Cuthbert Mayra Ramirez
